What's going on in Sanford and Seminole County, Fla.

Millennium Middle to move?

For nearly 50 years, the school that sits on the banks of Lake Jennie in Sanford has served as the transition between grammar school and high school – first as Lakeview Junior High, then Lakeview Middle and, since the late 1990s, as Millennium Middle.

That may soon change.

In an effort to relieve severe overcrowding at Sanford’s Seminole High School, Millennium Middle may be moved to property the school district owns near Midway.

No plans have been finalized, however the Seminole County School Board did approve a contract with C.T. Hsu & Associates, an Orlando-based architecture firm, to develop a master plan for the Seminole, Millennium and Midway properties.

There appear to be two clear-cut options, though the architectural firm may develop others:

Build a new 9th grade center on property the district owns near its bus depot in Midway, leave Millennium where it is and add classrooms to Seminole.

Build a new Millennium on the Midway property, convert the Millennium campus into a 9th grade center and add classrooms at Seminole.

Joe Renaldi, the executive director of operations for the school district, said C.T. Hsu could be finished with their work by the end of the year. That possibly would allow for construction to begin next summer on the Midway property – regardless of which option the school board pursues.

If construction brgan next summer, the school on the Midway property might be ready for the 2017-2018 school year.

“Everything will have to be timed just right,” said Renaldi. “It’s going to be a swift race to the finish.”

The master planning and construction are part of a $54 million upgrades at the Sanford campuses. The plan also includes building new vocational/technical buildings at the high school. That portion of the project will begin next summer, Renaldi said.

The projects are being funded by revenues generated from the 1-cent sales tax increase approved in May 2014.

Seminole High School has about 3,400 students, making it the second largest high school in metro Orlando, and the fifth largest high school in Florida.

The school has had closed enrollment since 2012. In fact, when Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith moved to town with his family, his daughter could not enroll at Seminole High.